A US woman who shot and killed her husband and two adult children before taking her own life is thought to have committed the shocking crime as a result of being ostracised from the religion she was raised in.

A federal judge sentenced a former Arkansas judge Wednesday to five years in prison — a stiffer punishment than prosecutors recommended — after he admitted giving young male defendants lighter sentences in return for personal benefits that included sexual favours.

Every time I tell a mate I’m doing a story on cryptocurrency, they invariably ask me the same two questions: should they invest their own hard-earned money, and which cryptocurrency will get them a Lamborghini/yacht/island quickest?

In a 60 Minutes online exclusive, reporter Liz Hayes quizzed Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull on his relationship with the unpredictable Twitter aficionado and US president Donald Trump ahead of their meeting at the White House Friday.

Abbott waters down PPL ahead of audit

Prime Minister Tony Abbott appears to be listening, even if it's just to some of his disgruntled coalition MPs.

Despite going to two elections with his generous paid parental leave scheme and standing by it as late as Tuesday, Mr Abbott has agreed to scale it back.

The maximum payment for working mums will now be $50,000 rather than the $75,000 he promised.

At the same time, the government appears to be backing away from a debt and deficit levy on taxpayers earning $80,000 and above amid rumblings within coalition ranks.

Instead the government is leaning towards altering higher-end marginal tax rates: the 37 per cent rate that applies between $80,001 and $180,000 could increase to 38 per cent, and the 45 per cent rate for incomes over $180,001 would be hiked to 47 per cent.

At the lower end, that equates to $200 extra tax for someone earning $100,000. At the top, it means an extra $5500 for someone on a salary of $450,000.

The alternative plan may go some way to appeasing the concerns of government MPs who feared a political backlash from any decision to impose a temporary levy.